In many Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications, a dual mode gateway, such as, for example, a Machine Type Communications (MTC) device, is used to connect a cellular network and a capillary vessel network. The so-called capillary vessel network is a communication network having an independent topological structure and is different from the general cellular network, such as a WiFi network or a wireless sensor network. The dual mode gateway simultaneously supports the communication technologies of the capillary vessel network and the cellular network. In the capillary vessel network, the dual mode gateway may serve as the gateway of the capillary vessel network to connect the external network through the cellular network. While in the cellular network, the dual mode gateway just acts as an ordinary User Equipment (UE).
The capillary vessel network device usually periodically sleeps to reduce the energy consumption, and the sleeping cycle varies from a few seconds to several hours. During the maintenance of the capillary vessel network, the dual mode gateway can easily acquire the sleeping cycle of the capillary vessel network device. Based on this characteristic of the capillary vessel network device, a M2M application requires that data can be transmitted to the capillary vessel network device after it awakes.
Since the cellular network and the capillary vessel network are connected to each other via the dual mode gateway, the service data transmitted by the M2M application to the capillary vessel network device is forwarded by the dual mode gateway. In the following manner, the existing M2M application transmits the service data to the capillary vessel network device via the dual mode gateway: the M2M application transmits, to the dual mode gateway at any time, the service data to be transmitted to the capillary vessel network device; the dual mode gateway stores the service data and transmits to the capillary vessel network device after it awakes.
During the implementation of dual mode gateway data forwarding, the inventor finds that the prior art at least has the following deficiency: the buffer space of the dual mode gateway is occupied in the current data forwarding by the dual mode gateway, and when too many devices in the capillary vessel network fall in sleep, a great deal of resources of the dual mode gateway will be occupied, which causes a data congestion of the dual mode gateway.